Sunday, July 27, 2008

I love the summer, I do. This heat though is killing me. Sleep has been crap at best. I can't think. I can't find motivation (not that I could before. It is the way of any good Michigan citizen worth his or her salt. When it's warm, wish for cold, when it's cold, wish for warm, and when somebody asks you where you live, hold up your hand.

Wednesday, July 23, 2008

I've recently moved into a new apartment and I quickly realized I'm missing quite a few living essentials. Plates, cups, silverware, cleaning supplies in general, and so on. I was going to go to [insert big name store here] but on the way there I saw a dollar store and thought "lets give it a whirl." I got inside and the first thing I noticed was a burning sensation in my eyes. Next I noticed the patrons had sad and defeated looks on all their faces. As I browsed the aisles I was surprised to find a lot of things I actually needed. Not only did I need them, but they were actually a dollar. It really was row after row of mass produced crap though. Like I said, I did need some of it, but the way it looked I'm guessing the stock of the store changes weekly based on what fell of wal-marts boat on the way to the states. It was an interesting experience and I'll go back one of these days but for now I got everything from there I could think of and I could also do without the burn in my eyes.

Saturday, July 19, 2008

"The Dark Knight" was brilliant. I'm expecting to see it in ye olde IMax at some point soon with the cronies which I'm very much looking forward to. Now, to get right to it. I don't want to take away from Christian Bale, Morgan Freeman, Michael Caine, Arron Eckhart, Gary Oldman, Maggie Gyllenhaal, or even Anthony Michael Hall, but Heath Ledger as The Joker was fucking brilliant. I never knew I could have chills run down my spine as I laughed. Ledger so perfectly was madness. Was a deformation of humanity. Was uncompromising evil. I do not mean to be disrespectful to Ledger or his family, but him playing this character so completely must have contributed to his death. When I see The Joker on screen it scared me to think that I could no longer see Ledger in the eyes. He had become The Joker. Michael Meyers is well known for really getting into character, and he is fine (mostly), but Austin Powers wasn't insane. Ledger was getting into a character of unflinching evil. He spent almost a year getting into and playing a mad man. I wondered to myself if such a performance would make Ledger an amazing actor? Or was him becoming this character simply a sign of a weak sense of self? What if someone with a weak sense of self found this persona. One of confidence. One of genius, more importantly misunderstood genius. Could Ledger have developed a case of Stockholm's Syndrome, where a captive begins to sympathize with their captor. Could this character have taken Ledger hostage, then Ledger began to empathize with his points of view? Either way, "The Dark Knight" is an astounding cinematic achievement. One that I can't wait to see again soon.

P.S. Continuing the good fight, there was a "Watchmen" trailer at the beginning of the movie which I promptly closed my eyes and plugged my ears during. Go me.

Friday, July 18, 2008

There it is. The "Watchmen" trailer. It's teasing me. It wants to be watched. That is its singular purpose of existence. Who am I to deny an artistic vision. Who am I to deny purpose. But who am I to lie to myself. Who am I to squander so frivolously my own chance at the joy of discovery. No, I shall not click it today. For this day, this day, is the first day of the rest of my life!

Wednesday, July 16, 2008

I pride myself on knowing as much as I can when it comes to film, movies, cinema, whatever you want to call it. I read movie news sites hourly. I post on movie message boards hourly. I constantly check for newly released trailers for movies and will often watch new trailers four or five times. Having all this knowledge is exciting for me. I love talking about with people. I love dropping facts here and there. What's the price for this over exposure? The price is the potential for losing some of my innocence and awe when I first see a movie. By the time I see almost any movie I've already read multiple in-depth articles on it, the script, the actors, and the director. I've already seen anywhere from five to fifteen minutes of the movie through trailers and video diary things online. Trailers are big on showing you a lot of the most exciting looking stuff from the movie, which makes the trailers a lot of fun to watch to get that initial "WOAH!" just sitting at home. I've been thinking about it, and I miss that first moment of amazement that I used to get in the theater. Which is why, for my one of my most personally anticipated movies "Watchmen," I'm going to try to the best of my abilities to avoid all press on the movie. This means no message boards, no trailers, no articles, no screen shots, or anything else like that. I've already read the comic for which the movie is based, so in that I already have a sense of what the story and themes will be, but I expect the visuals to be pretty mind blowing. I would recommend "Watchmen" to everyone. It's a fantastic comic book, but more than that it's a fantastic book. The movie is being directed by Zack Snyder, the man that brought us "300." "Watchmen" is set for a January '09 release date.

Monday, July 14, 2008

I have loved many people in my life, but have I even been in love? Is there a difference? Or maybe I never have felt love. Maybe no one really knows what love is. Maybe only a few people in history have ever felt true love, and they simply can't explain to other people what it feels like. Maybe love doesn't have to hurt. Maybe marriage isn't work. Maybe we only accept the pain because others have felt it. Is it wrong to leave love when it hurts? If it hurts, is it really love? Is the pursuit of love purely a selfish one? And if your intentions are selfish can you really be in love? Or are you just experiencing what you expect love to be? Maybe love is truly unique in every incarnation, and love is whatever we want it to be.

While thinking about these questions I imagined being truly in love, and I imagined what I would say to the one I love. However cheesy, it sounded right to me, and like I said, maybe love is simply what each of us makes of it.

I will love you as I do the black keys. Often not appreciated for the sad song they sing. I hear the beautiful ring as each hammer strikes each wire. I've heard the song sung by the white keys many times. It's not that I've heard all the possible note combination's, but it is the mystery and melancholy of the whites darker relative that truly stirs.